Rotary gas-engine.



PATENTED DEG. 11, i906. E. J. WEEKS.

RUTARY GAS ENGINE.

APPLICATION FILED PEB. 2. 19GB.

'ZI/VMS No. 838,150. PATENTED DEG. 11, 1906.

E. J. WEEKS.

ROTARY GAS ENGINE.

APYLIUATION FILED FEB. 2. 190e.

- z SHEETS-SHEET 2.

7, .,131 j] J0 ff Unirse srirns PATENT FFICE.

EDWARD J'. WEEKS, OF NEW YORK, N. Y., ASSIGNQR OF FOit'lY PER CEN'I,

T J. Viti'l, OF NEW YORK, N. Y.

Specification of Letters Patent.

Eatented Dec. 11, 1906.

Application filed February 2,1906. Serial Nov 299.223.

the type embodying abutment and driving pistons actuated in aiternation by a step-bye V step movement, and aiins to. iinprove the v niedinin therebetween.

` element opposite one of the pistons.

Corresponding and like parts ,are referred l to in the `following description and indicated -l and 5.

construction wherebyv an explosive `medinni may he advantageously used. asthe motive agent. l j

The invention. consists of the novel ieetures and strncturai details which hereinafter will he more fully disclosed and claimed.

In the accompanying drawingsiorrning a part oi! the specification, Figure i is a vertical longitudinal section oi" an engine embodyingl the invention on the linef X of Fig. 2 iocliing to the right, as indicated by the ar,N rows. Fig. 2 is a section on the line Y Y of Eig. 1,-sliowing the position of the pistons when receiving a charge of explosive inotive Fig. 3 is a view sinnlar to Fig. 2,' showing the drivingpistons an instant after the explosion has taken ple-ce. Fig. 4 is a sectional detail showing the parte on .larger scale. Fig. 5 isa detail perspe'c-- tive view of a piston-ring, showing a clutoln in all the vieivs ol the drawings hy the saine reference characters.

in its organization the engine comprises the'shait i, hub 2, cylinder' 3, and pistons i it is conteinpiated to impart nieveinent toeither the 'n uh or cylinder, and, shown, the iatter is stationary' and the huh rotatable. The power inay'he taken from the engine-shait'l either by means of a driveoelt (not shown) applied to the hand-pnl icy 6 or by means of a translator (not shown) in mesh with the gearfwhecl 7 '.ie motive medium may be introduced between the pistons from any convenient point, ao cording to the construction of the engine, and, as shown, the cylinder orcasing is coinposed of' hoilow Wallssubdivided into compartments or spaces 3 and 9, the fornier helng connected with the source of supply and the latter with 'the' exhaust-pipe,

'inistn ports 10 and ontlet-ports 1,1 are provided in the inner wall of the cylinder adjacent to the partit-ions.

The compartments S are in communication with one another and with the inlet A., which.

is connected in the usual Way with a source of supply for the motive inediuni. vThe conipartinents 9 are alsov connected with one another, preferably hy ineens of the annular chamber C, and with the exhaust B, which leads from the chamber C.

ri"he pistons 4. and 5 stand in the relation of' abutment and driving elements, since one is stationary While the other is traveling, and

vice versa. These pistons are connected to rings@ and 7 and may he provided in any` number, according to the size and capacity of the engine. Clutch elements are provided for zalternately connecting the pistons to, respectively, the hul) and cylinder, and means are employed for shifting the clutch eleine11ts75 at the proper time, so as to disconnect the pistons i'roin the huh and to connect them with the cylinder, and vice versa.

The clutch clcn'ients may he conveniently iocated and areprcierahly applied Vto the pistons which are liest adapten to receive the saine. As indicated, `the clutch elements 12 are slidaoly mounted in openings or seats of the pistons and adapted to enter grooves or i3 in the opposing` Walls of the space iorined between the huh and cylin der. ihii'ting-springs 14 cooperate with the clutch elements for actuation thereof and are preferably bowed and have their ends in engagement with tappets l5, normally pro- "iected 'beyond opposite faces of the pistons,

se to he pressed upon when the pistons onine together for increasing the curvature ofdvhe spiings, whereby the clutch elements reversedvfthat is, disconnected. from one part, as the huh, and engaged with the other part, the cylinder. The shifting or ,actuating' springs i4 n'iay he repieced by any mechanism for attaining the desired end-- namely, 'to eli'ect o reverse movement of the clutchl elements. 'A pocket or space is formed between adjacent pistons toreceiveI a charge of inotive niediuin, and this space or pocloct nia-y he provided in any determinate way. As shown, depressions 16 `are formed inthe 'Faces ofthe pistons. in Z, the pistons i and 5 have come together and the pocket between them is in TCG As showni register with the inlet-port 10, land the eX- haust-port 11 is closed by the piston 4. Alter the charge of'explosive medium has been received in the pocket or space between the pistons theA latter travel a short distance to admit of the vpiston 4 uncoveringr the exi 'haust-'port H and to cover the inlet-port l0,

` dium.

der and constitutes the abutment.

and the -instant this has been accomplished the piston 4 becomes clutched to the cylin- A inoment later the explosive medium is ignited,y and the resultant expansion of the gases vdrives the piston 5 forward. When the piston 5 reaches the next piston 4 in advance thereof, the operation just described is repeated, the piston 5- becoming the abutment and the piston 4 the driver, and so on in" alternation. .v f y The ex losive charge is ignited by any-means plug-extends across the space formed botween the walls'of the cylinder and is threaded into the same. l i

For starting 'the engine, pipes 118" extend ac-ross the space formed between the walls ot' `shells of the cylinder-and are in communication with an air-compressor (not shown) or other source of supp y of fluid motive me-l These pipes :are `approximately in line with the ,sparking devices', so as to admit the Aluid medium int'othe pockets between the pistons at the beginning of the stroke. Valves 19 are seated -in the-pipes 18 to prevent the escape'of-pressure due to the explosive. After the engine has been started the-fluid meeiu'mis cut off from the pipes 18, thereby permitting the Aengine tobe run by explosion of the gaseous mixture or like combustible motivemecium..

f Within the purview oi24 the invention itj is contemplated 'to embody vthe invention in a reversible rotary engine, it beingnecessary lonl "toprovide duplicate sparking'- devices an starting mechanism at each side of the partitions vsubdividing 1 the space formed between the inner and outfer'walls of the cylinder .and to provide means for admitting the gaseous mixture into one or Ithe other of the spaces 8 and 9. The engine is ol such construction as to admitof the utilization ofi i steam, compressed air, or other lluid mevcom mon y employed lin engines ofthe ex- 'plosive type, and, as illustrated, an electric Having thus dium-as the motive a ent, in which case the 6o sparking devices will e dispensed with and. i

the'explosive medium substituted byv the selected motive agent, such as steam, compressed air, a-n'd the like. Inthis construction the engine may comprise any number of pairs of piston-rings andpistons, tWo such pairs being illustrated, andv ball-bearingsbe'- ing interposed between the iston-rings and between the piston-rings an the `heads of the cylinder, so as to minimize the friction.

. The-engine is started by admitting medium to thepistons by means of the pipes 18, and after it has acquired sufficient momentum to operate by explosion ofthe'gascous mixture or like motive a ent `the start-` .ing medium is cut ofl'. As t e Imoving or driving pistons reach the limit of their stroke they receive between them'and the abutment-pistons a charge ot the-'exploifii'veV medium, which isexploded a moment later after the inlet-ports have become closed, and the driving-pistons change yposition -with the abutment pistons. When the driving l pistons impact against the abutment-pistons, v 8s .the clutch-shifting mechanisms are `actuated and the clutches reversed, the moving fpiston becoming stationary and the stationary piston acting as the driver and receiving the force of the inotiveagent, so as to opera-te the engine. ln the event of the motiveagent being a gaseous mixture, such as commonly employed in explosive-engines,the elements are mixed, and the mixture compresses -preliminary to supplying the same 4to the' engine. Hence thencharge admitted into the erly con ensed, so that when explode lt e best results possible `are attained- `described the invention what is claimed as new isspace or ockets between` the pistonsis ro vOO An explosive rotary engine5 comprising-a hub, cylinder, pistonsarranged to travellin the space formed between the'hu-b-and cylindei and having-depressions or recesses in theirfaees to-forni pockets vfor the reception of the explosive medium, clutches coperatiiig withy the pistons for alternately connect-v ing them tothe hub and cylinder, means Afor -sup lying a charge of explosive motive-agent the I 1o v to t ef pockets, and-:means for'igniting charge, substantially as set forth.

i 'In testimony whereof- I ailix my signature in presenceo two witnesses.

EDWARD J; WEEKS. [La] /Vitnesses l I J. LoiiENzo CELLO, JosEF Vnrr. 

